DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Dec. 12, 2024) – The Mercy University men's basketball team plays at ECC foe D'Youville University on Friday, December 13th at 7:45 p.m. before playing at ECC foe Daemen University on Sunday, December 15th at 1 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Friday, December 13th 7:45 p.m.
Records: Mercy (2-6, 1-0 ECC), D'Youville (2-6, 0-2 ECC)
Location: Buffalo, N.Y.
Date/Time: Sunday, December 15th 1 p.m.
Records: Mercy (2-6, 1-0 ECC), #6/7 Daemen (7-0, 2-0 ECC)
Location: Amherst, N.Y.
Last Meeting vs. D'Youville
Mercy dropped a 96-76 decision to D'Youville on February 16, 2024.
Last Meeting vs. Daemen
Mercy dropped a 123-75 decision to Daemen on February 18, 2024.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy was selected ninth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 2-24 overall and 1-15 in ECC play last season. The Mavericks are looking to make their first ECC Championship appearance since 2021. Mercy has not qualified for the ECC Championship without every team making it since 2016. The Mavericks are looking to win their season opener for the first time since 2017. Leading the returners for third-year Head Coach Chris Watts is senior Taj Chiles who averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game last season. He led the team in assists and steals per game and was third in points per game. Chiles ranked fourth in the ECC in assists per game last season. Also returning for the Mavericks is senior Max Mitchell who averaged 3.9 points per game in seven games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. Junior Jamal Jacobs returns after appearing in all 26 games last season and junior Thomas Mandell and sophomores Zein Wahdan, Derek Long and Aston Sannasi also return after playing in a combined 188 minutes last season. Leading the newcomers for Watts is junior TJ Holloway who transfers from Division I Central Connecticut State University. Holloway appeared in 22 games averaging 1.2 points per game in two seasons. Junior Camryn Reyes joins the Mavericks from Fort Scott Community College where he led the NJCAA in three-point percentage. Sophomore Shedrach Makanjuola joins Mercy from Quincy College where he averaged 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Watts also brings in a strong freshman class led by James Connolly, Nathan Robertson and Ethan Robertson.
The Mavericks are coming off an 82-79 win over Holy Family on Wednesday. With the win, Mercy matched their win total from last year. Mercy was led by freshmen Ethan Robertson and Nathan Robertson who both scored a team-high 21 points. The Mavericks have been led by Makanjuola who is averaging 12.9 points per game on 60.9 percent shooting with 5.3 rebounds per game. Senior Taj Chiles is averaging 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and a team-high 5.9 assists per game and freshman Nathan Robertson is netting 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Junior TJ Holloway is averaging a team-high 15.3 points per game with 6.1 rebounds per game and senior Max Mitchell is producing 6.8 points per game. Freshman Ethan Robertson is averaging 14.1 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game. Makanjuola and Chiles were named to the ECC Honor Roll on November 11th and Holloway was tabbed to the Honor Roll on November 18th. Nathan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week last week and Makanjuola was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Ethan Robertson was named ECC Rookie of the Week on Monday and Nathan Robertson was tabbed to the Honor Roll. Mercy is 3-4 all-time against D'Youville but is 2-1 in three meetings in Buffalo. The Mavericks are 0-22 all-time against Daemen. Mercy looks to win two games in a row for the first time since the 2022-23 season and looks to win three games in a row for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Mercy looks to start 2-0 in ECC play for the first time.
Scouting the Saints
D'Youville is coming off a 96-77 loss at Staten Island on Sunday. The Saints were picked eighth in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 7-20 last season. D'Youville is led by Justin Moore who is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting with 4.6 rebounds per game. Jordan Turner is netting 13.8 points per game on 56.5 percent shooting and Trayton Trice is third with 9.6 points per game. Trice also averages a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game and Noah Hutchins and Jaylin Simmons both average 7.5 points per game.
Scouting the Wildcats
Daemen is coming off an 80-52 win over UDC on Sunday for their seventh straight win to open the season. The Wildcats will host St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday before hosting Mercy on Sunday. Daemen is currently ranked No. 7 nationally in the NABC Top 25 Poll and No. 6 in the D2CSC Top 25 Poll. The Wildcats are ranked first in the D2CSC East Region Top 10 Poll. Daemen was picked tied for first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 25-9 last season, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are led by two-time ECC Player of the Week and two-time Defensive Player of the Week Benjamin Bill who is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game on 68.8 percent shooting with 7.0 rebounds per game. Justin Hemphill is second with 10.7 points per game and averages a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. Justin Glover posts 10.3 points per game and Matt Becker averages 8.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Next Game
Mercy plays at Saint Michael's on Friday, December 20th at 5 p.m.
